In 1904, on the Nova Scotia island of Cape Breton, 12-year-old Willie McLean, following the death of his father, joins the coal mines, where he bonds with the working horses underground. His family's mining legacy shapes their lives.
CreatorJoyce Barkhouse
The Light to the Future
Feb 5, 1999
Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, 1904. Willie MacLean is an 12-year-old with a passion for horses and is helping his family get by the best since the death of his older brother in at the local coal mine (the Pit). Willie's older sister, Nellie, is perused by the Scot newcomer Ned Hall, who is always at odds with the mine's owner, Mr. Frawley over the working conditions. Meanwhile, Charley is hiding from the widow MacTavish over her husband's death, while Willie decides to enter his beloved horse, Sable, in a riding competition.
Best Laid Plans
Feb 12, 1999
Nellie's Aunt Rose arrives for a visit, and she does not get along with Ned after learning that Nellie lied to her about him being a farmer instead of a miner. But Ned and Nellie's wedding plans hit a snag when Mr. Frawley wants Ned to work on Saturday, (the day of the wedding) and threatens to fire him if Ned takes off. Meanwhile, Willie is angry that Ned is forced to miss their training session for baseball, and Charley has to tutor Willie instead.
Forerunner
Feb 19, 1999
Willie and schoolmates, Mollie and Angus, are forced to spend the night in an abandoned house reputed to be haunted on a dare from pit boy Spider. There, Willie thinks he sees his father who advices him that things will get better. Meanwhile, Rose continues to resent Ned, but offers Nellie her mother's prized wedding dress, while Ned is offered to take the day off for his wedding by co-worker Allen, only to have tragedy strike in the mine.
The Ball Game
Feb 26, 1999
In the aftermath of the recent pit flooding, Ned wants to organize a protest of the working conditions. But Mr. Frawley, and his MORE cynical and nasty boss, Wendell Crowe, only want to keep one section closed and keep the mine operating in fear of loss of profits. As the wedding of Ned and Nellie draws near, Aunt Rose begins to try to talk Nellie out of marrying Ned in fear of being set up for a major heartache. Meanwhile, Willie, Mollie, Angus and other schoolmates prepare to face off against Spider, Strech, Stringy, and the other pit boys in a grudge baseball game.
To Have and to Hold
Mar 5, 1999
With Ned unjustly fired as an example by Mr. Frawley, Rose wants to take Maggie, Sarah, and Willie back to Halifax with her. Willie refuses to leave, town as does Nellie, until Ned, feeling he's failed her, breaks off their engagement. However, it takes some persuasion by Willie to try to plead on Mr. Frawley to let Ned have his old job at the mine back.
Endings and Beginnings
Mar 12, 1999
With Ned and Nellie away in nearby Sydney celebrating their honeymoon, the snobbish, city slicker Rose finds herself the center of attention by a traveling violinist, named John Scottie MacNeil, whom she snubs, making Willie and his sisters the center of hostility from the townspeople for teaching the legendary musician badly. As Maggie and Sarah prepare to move to Halifax with Rose, Willie seeks the company of Charley where MacNeil persuades Willie to live his difficulties through the magic of music.
The Phantom Ship
Mar 19, 1999
After Willie thinks he sees a ghostly pirate ship in the cove, he tries to get Mollie and Angus to help him search for a supposed buried treasure. Only Spider gets to it first, and he ends up being "cursed" by the pirate treasure. Meanwhile, Ned is paired with Mr. Frawley's son, Ben, in the pit where the naive youth from Boston becomes more of a hindrance then a help.
The Mine's Mark
Mar 26, 1999
After Willie's horse, Sable, goes missing, Willie suspects that he may have been stolen and he is forced to sneak into the coal mine, disguised at a pit boy miner, to look for his horse, and Ned even tags along to help. Meanwhile, Ben Frawley continues to adjust to life in the mine, while Spider continues searching for the hidden treasure, and Willie continues to resent Nellie and Ned's constant displays of affection in front of him.
Sleeping Dogs Lie
Apr 2, 1999
Ben vouches for Ned to prove that the pit pony Sable is Willie's horse. Willie becomes determined to find out who stole his horse, and soon discovers that the "treasure" that Spider is still digging on the beach for is in fact stolen loot. Ned thinks there is a connection between the mysterious stolen money and that several pounds of explosive powder is stolen from the mine, and he begins to suspect that Ben is behind the theft to cover for his gambling debts. Meanwhile, Mollie and Angus continue to give Willie the cold shoulder, and Ben Frawley's true colors are revealed.
Calling Mr. Bell
Apr 9, 1999
More technology comes to Glace Bay starting with a public telephone installed in the lobby of Mrs. MacTavish's train station. After doing a school report on the telephone, Willie writes a letter to the famed Alexander Graham Bell, residing in nearby Baddeck, who invites Willie and his teacher, Anne Harper, to his residence to help share ideas for his new inventions. Meanwhile, Ned is very secretive as he plans to give Nellie a gift for their two-year anniversary when they first met.
Ghost in the Lens
Apr 16, 1999
Using his new photo camera given to him by Alexander Graham Bell, Willie takes a photo of the old Borso haunted house, and it leads him to try to find out the mystery about the old house which leads him to the late owner's daughter, Helen Borso, who's son happens to be Stringy. When Willie decides to enter a photo contest, a photo he took of Mrs. Borso and Stringy lands in the hands of Miss Harper to submits the photo, without Willie's knowledge. Meanwhile, Nellie continues to try to adjust to using her new washing machine that Ned gave her.
Famous
Apr 23, 1999
L.B. Collins, a noted newspaper reporter from Halifax, arrives in Glace Bay to interview Willie after his photo of Stringy and his mother make news headlines all over the province as a sign of the horrendous working conditions in the coal mines, which leads to Ms. Collins insisting to Nellie that they explore the mine first-hand to see the working conditions.
Winds of Change
Apr 30, 1999
When Ned is temporally laid off as the mine puts in new electric wires, Nellie thinks about getting a job. But Ned, due to his pride and ego, strongly opposes her choice to look for work. Meanwhile, Miss Harper sets up a reading class at the mine and tries to persuade Stringy to attend, which puts him at odds with Spider and the other illiterate pit boys who resent education.
Reunion
May 7, 1999
When Ned is temporally laid off as the mine puts in new electric wires, Nellie thinks about getting a job. But Ned, due to his pride and ego, strongly opposes her choice to look for work. Meanwhile, Miss Harper sets up a reading class at the mine and tries to persuade Stringy to attend, which puts him at odds with Spider and the other illiterate pit boys who resent education.
Making Their Way
May 14, 1999
When Rose offers to buy a large farmhouse for Nellie and Ned, they both find that there are naturally strings attached as Rose wants to model the house the way she wants it to and is not interested in anyone's opinion but her own. Meanwhile, Willie gets a part-time job as an errand boy for Mr. Frawley.
Where There's A Will
May 21, 1999
Nellie decides to open her own laundry business, as Willie continues struggling between schoolwork and delivering packages for Mr. Frawley. Meanwhile, Frawley, under orders from the mine owner Wendell Crowe, forces Miss Harper to close down the school at the mine. But Miss Harper, under the advice from Ned, decides to make a stand for her rights.
Evolution
May 28, 1999
The evil and greedy Wendell Crowe begins to play hardball with Miss Harper by threatening to having her teaching license revoked unless she stops holding after-shift reading classes for the miners. But it takes some intervention by Ned to play on the little humanity and feelings Mr. Crowe has to let Miss Harper continue teaching. Meanwhile, Nellie's laundry business picks up in full force, while Willie is overwhelmed with helping her, as well as keeping time for his delivery job and schoolwork. It leads to Mollie and Angus playing a mean practical joke on Willie for neglecting them by agreeing to help him fix his school science project. Also, Nellie thinks about taking a job as a secretary for Mr. Frawley after a neighbor, named Flora, turns it down.
The Truth About Heroes
Jun 4, 1999
When Ned is nominated by the miners to run for president of the Provencial Workers Association, his rival, the head wrangler Jack Doyle, plots to use dirty means to win the vote after learning that Mr. Frawley and Mr. Crowe plan to replace some miners with mechanical drillers. Meanwhile, Willie is forced to confront his buried fears about venturing into the mine and he inadvertently and indirectly lets Doyle in on the information Frawley and Crowe have about the new mechanization.
Night Into Day
Jun 11, 1999
Willie and Charley look after Spider Davis' pit pony, Zack, after he falls ill. Willie asks Helen Borso for some special healing medicine for the horse and asks Mollie and Angus to help him care for Zack. But after Doyle takes the horse back to work in the mine prematurely, Willie must confront his fears of the pit by venturing down into the mine to give Spider's horse the medicine it needs to survive.
Transformations
Jun 18, 1999
Mollie asks Nellie to do a makeover on her in order to shed her tomboy image from hanging around Willie and Angus, and make her into a more of a girl. Meanwhile, Ned begins to resent his co-workers asking him for advice on their own problems with management. Nellie is offered a position as a teaching assistant to Miss Harper, and Spider is unwilling to show his appreciated to Willie in front of his pit boy co-workers in fear of losing his tough reputation with them.
Connections
Jun 25, 1999
When Nellie's laundry machine goes bust, she tries taking another job as assistant teacher at Miss Harper's school, but learns that there are no funds to pay her. Nellie then takes a job as an assistant telephone operator at the telegraph office at the train station under the supervision of the annoying and obnoxious busybody Mrs. MacTavish, who quickly resents her presence and plots to get rid of her by holding a donation auction at the school to raise the funds needed. When Mr. Frawley donates a brass tobacco spittoon to the auction which was given to him as a gift by the mine owners, he realizes how valuable it is and plots to get it back by bidding on it against Charley.
Homecoming
Jul 2, 1999
Maggie returns unexpectedly from Halifax, and soon finds how everything with Nellie, Willie, and Ned have changed for both better and worse. Meanwhile, Stringy asks and gets a promotion from Mr. Frawley, but soon learns that the expected increased salary is not what it claimed to be.
Charley's Secret
Jul 9, 1999
Charley finds himself haunted by his past involving the ghost of an old friend who keeps appearing before him involving a 30-year-old tragedy. Meanwhile, Jack Doyle continues alienating the pit boys and the rest of the miners over his callous management issues.
Sunshine and Shadows
Jul 16, 1999
Nellie begins to think that she might be pregnant which puts both a glimmer of hope for everyone as Willie and Maggie take over for one evening Nellie's teaching position. Maggie also begins to develop a friendship with pit boy Jimmy. But mystic Helen Borso begins to think otherwise of Nellie's true condition. Meanwhile, Ned is put in charge of a mine face cleaning operation by Mr. Frawley to prevent him from being fired and the end results in a yet another cave-in in which Stringy is badly injured.
Into The Dark
Jul 23, 1999
With Nellie now bedridden, she fears she may have Scarlet Fever, but is instead diagnosed with consumption. Willie and Maggie are forced to take over Nellie's classes at night, while Mrs. MacTavish phones Aunt Rose and Sarah in Halifax to inform them of Nellie's worsening health. Meanwhile, Ned slowly slides into frustrated and insanity as he and the rest of the pit boys work to clear the mine face on Level 4. With both Stringy as well as Jimmy incapacitated by the recent cave-in and the consumption respectively, Willie decides to make a choice to help Ned.
Our Sons and Daughters
Jul 30, 1999
With Willie back working in the mine as the pit pony driver to cover for Stringy while he's still in the hospital recovering from his injuries, Willie tries to persuade Ned, Spider and the other pit boys to lead a walk-out to protest Mr. Frawley's management. Meanwhile, Rose and Sarah arrives back in town to help Maggie look after the sickly Nellie who begins to doubt her chances of recovery.
Power Plays
Sep 24, 1999
As the newly elected first president of the Junior Mine Workers' Association, Willie asks Mr. Crowe to recruit a doctor who can treat consumption. Nellie tries to send Maggie and Sarah back to Halifax as her condition worsens.
Two Sides of the Coin
Oct 1, 1999
The national coal company's new doctor arrives in Glace Bay to treat the bedridden Nellie's advance case of consumption. In a surprising twist of fate, the new physician turns out to be Tony Moressa, Nellie's ex-boyfriend.
Coal Dust
Oct 8, 1999
Willie is given responsibility for checking a dangerous seam for methane. When an explosion brings down the roof, he's held accountable.
A Weighty Matter
Oct 15, 1999
Mine owner Wendell Crowe, tired of Willie's combative attitude toward management, makes plans to teach him a lesson and keep him under control - starting by separating the boy from his beloved horse, Sable.
Gone Fishin'
Oct 22, 1999
The Ponies are about to play their first big game without Willie. Charley takes him on a fishing trip to get his mind off the game, and Willie struggles with becoming a kid again.
Home
Oct 29, 1999
After a fire breaks out, Ned accidentally stumbles upon the secret location that Spider Davis calls home. Ned is surprised to find that Spider has been living for some time in an abandoned boat.
Company Business
Nov 5, 1999
Tony's appointment as mine doctor proves to be a mixed blessing when the men find themselves over-billed for his services.
The Game
Nov 12, 1999
The Ponies are about to play for the championship, but the game might have to be forfeited. Ned and Dr. Tony Moressa get into a heated confrontation, and in the aftermath, the ponies disband.
Taking Chances
Nov 19, 1999
Love is in the air, or is it? Willie and Maggie conspire to ignite a romance between Charley McGinnis and Anne Harper, the schoolteacher. Their plan revolves around the upcoming school fundraiser.
In Harmony
Nov 26, 1999
Ned feels the weight of his new responsibilities in his new position as the mine's overman. During some dangerous work involving the use of explosives, a "tricked charge" triggers a collapse.
Sarah's Return
Dec 3, 1999
While staying in Halifax, Sarah has turned into a tiny Aunt Rose, full of sophistication and pretension. Maggie tries to deal with her sister's new attitude but ends up fighting with her.
That Special Spark
Dec 10, 1999
Stringy Borso is leaving Glace Bay for baseball camp, and Nellie's choir is planning its first public performance in honour of this special occasion. Angus, the freckle-faced soloist, discovers he has a serious case of stage fright.
Lost
Dec 17, 1999
Glace Bay's new advances in technology results in more mechanization at the mine. Consequently, a large number of miners lose their jobs, and many are bitter.
Fiddler's Fall
Jan 7, 2000
The annual Fiddler's Fall is in jeopardy of being cancelled when beautiful and talented Theresa Cameron (Natalie MacMaster) arrives in town expecting to play.
Chasing Shadows
Jan 14, 2000
A wild stallion is stealing ponies from the mine. In order to keep Doyle from shooting the animal, Willie and Charley must tame the stallion.
Price of Change
Jan 21, 2000
Ned's modern coal cutters continue to cause problems at the mine. Rufus and Scotty have trouble maintaining their machine and enlist Spider as their assistant.
Small Steps
Jan 28, 2000
Ned and Nellie unexpectedly receive a bundle of joy at their house. Unfortunately, the baby's arrival leads to a confrontation between the couple as they argue about the wisdom of a possible adoption.
Securities
Feb 4, 2000
When Willie gets an opportunity of a lifetime to leave behind his life as a pit boy and attend photography school in Boston, he has to make a decision between following his dreams or his father's footsteps.
